Richmond gang rape suspect gets six years in plea deal

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The courtyard beyond the fence on the campus of Richmond High School, which was the scene of a rape Saturday night, is photographed in Richmond, Calif., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. (Kristopher Skinner/Staff)

MARTINEZ — Elvis Torrentes pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of sexual penetration of an intoxicated person and will serve six years in prison for his role in the infamous 2009 gang rape of a 16-year-old Richmond High School girl that drew nationwide outrage.

Torrentes, 26, who has been out on bail, reached a deal with prosecutors that was finalized in Judge Barbara Zuniga’s courtroom.

The Richmond man faced the fewest charges of the six defendants in the case.

Manuel Ortega is serving a 32-year sentence and Ari Morales is serving 27 years for their roles in the attack, while Marcelles Peter and Jose Montano will serve up to 33 years to life.

During a 2010 preliminary hearing, a judge dismissed two rape charges against Torrentes. He told police he sexually touched the girl but claimed that it was a consensual act that occurred before she passed out and before the assault began.

The girl, a sophomore at the school, was beaten, raped and otherwise sexually abused for more than two hours on Oct. 24, 2009, in a dark campus courtyard while spectators watched, shortly after a school dance. The victim fell in and out of consciousness during the attack because of head injuries and a near-fatal blood-alcohol level. She nearly died, a doctor testified during an earlier trial, and was initially in a coma.

The victim received a $4 million settlement from the West Contra Costa Unified School District in 2011.

The only defendant in this case yet to be tried is John Crane, 47, who is charged with rape. His semen was found on the victim and various objects left at the scene, according to testimony.

Investigators collected other DNA profiles from the scene but have not matched them to individuals, meaning still more suspects could face charges down the line.